Coventry have had an extremely difficult run, playing four of the current top five as they head into their first Premier League season for 25 years, the first two away from home.
Arsenal, Man City and Brighton are among the real elite of the league. Brighton are currently the league’s top scorers, although five came against Coventry last weekend. High-flying Hull City is perhaps the only outstanding venue where points were scored.
Frank Lampard’s side remain pointless and goalless in matchweek five. “We dropped one moment of quality. Welcome to the Premier League,” he said after the defeat to Brighton, the certainly crushing class opener for a side that could only boast five players with any meaningful Premier League experience (measured as 20+ appearances).
But the city of Coventry knows all about the disaster. Supporters have felt its brute force many times since relegation from the Premier League in 2001. Four defeats are not enough to break them. Fans at CBS Arena on Saturday held a protest demonstration; they won’t turn their backs after fighting so hard just to be here. This helps Lampard’s cause immensely.
Coventry are competing – but only sporadically. They are dominant from the air but seem to be losing the battle on the ground. Their pressure is quick and coordinated in some areas of the field and not in others. They create chances but don’t score. Adapting to the demands in every department will be the key to survival.
The physical profile of their squad should at least ensure they won’t be bullied in this division. Becoming more bullish and imposing, with the conviction that they belong, is the next step. Leeds is an important example to draw inspiration from.
Daniel Farke’s side pressure and duel their way to victories, with success largely rooted in what they do on the ball. They are hard to beat because of it. Jamie Carragher’s recap of Leeds’ latest win over Newcastle MNF matches this: “Newcastle have been beaten by a really good Premier League team.”
As a newly promoted side, Coventry must deal with a compact shape and be aggressive with its implementation. Stylistically, this is why the club targeted the giants in the summer transfer window. Winger Loum Tchaouna was the only new recruit to reach the milestone standing under 6m.
Saturday, September 19 at 5:00 p.m
Departure at 17:30
If Lampard can create a collective consistency that meets the physical demands of this league, the lack of individual star quality should matter less. Teams that rarely get ahead or fight back are often among the survivors when May rolls around.
Creatively, the Sky Blues are better than their non-existent goal tally suggests. According to expected goals (xG) data, they should have already scored four. When analyzing xGOT, which assesses the quality of an on-target effort, that total rises to five.
It’s no surprise, then, that opposing goalkeepers have played their part in such a woeful start. Gianluigi Donnarumma kept Man City alive at the Etihad, as did Konstantinos Tzolakis in the defeat to Hull. Coventry lost both games by one goal.
Despite being comprehensively beaten by Brighton after Taiwo Awoniyi was sent off, man of the match Bart Verbruggen was forced to six save When Lewis Dunk is scoring a screamer from 30 yards, his first goal from open play at the age of 34, you know luck has landed elsewhere.
Coventry have conceded three goals from outside the area overall, more than any other team. This suggests a problem with pressing distances, allowing opponents too much space in the strike zones, but could just as easily be explained by increased level and pace. The Premier League is full of tormentors. Lewis Dunk is apparently among them.
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Lewis Dunk scores SUBLIME goal of the season contender for Brighton against Coventry in their Premier League clash!
But Lampard’s experience should prevent any impostor syndrome from emerging. The former Chelsea midfielder knows the league intimately, as a coach and player. He understands how unforgiving it can be and will not be swayed by what has already happened – most expected.
As he prepares his side for a trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, go live Sky Sportshe can tell who they played and how they competed in the piece. There is something to be said for leaving out visits to the Emirates and Etihad, while the residuals per point are far less important.
However, City Earth is where the potential lies. Forest are yet to score a league goal at home this season. In fact, since last Christmas, the only ever-present team with fewer points at home than Forest is Spurs. Coventry travel to Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium next month. Both are matches with a chance for points.
So this is not the moment for a crisis of confidence. Lampard will be hoping just one win is enough to free his players from the rigors of the Premier League. They badly need a boost.
Watch Nottingham Forest vs Coventry City live Sky Sports’ main event on Saturday; departure at 17:30
